Raiders of the Lost Archive

[Deleted]

Yes, very interesting. Rediffusion...ah, my pet subject! Five O Clock Club, Orlando, Ratcatchers, The Informer, Crane, Sexton Blake, 1948 Show, Half Hour Story and many more that are wholly or partially missing too.

I completely share your scepticism about things being returned and vanishing into an archive black hole somewhere, Andy. But do think again...even if they just get the odd airing at MBW or similar, those attending would get a lot out of that to make it worthwhile. Also, however many see the shows in that way, it is still far more than are seeing them at the moment!

[emitron]

laurencepiper said:

Yes, very interesting. Rediffusion...ah, my pet subject! Five O Clock Club, Orlando, Ratcatchers, The Informer, Crane, Sexton Blake, 1948 Show, Half Hour Story and many more that are wholly or partially missing too.

I completely share your skepticism about things being returned and vanishing into an archive black hole somewhere, Andy. But do think again...even if they just get the odd airing at MBW or similar, those attending would get a lot out of that to make it worthwhile.

I've started a blog to put in a bit of detail about my own experiences with lost and early tv. I truly don't have the energy or stamina to spend much time on it at the moment, but it might prove fun to all enthusiasts of early tv. I don't want to spend time discussing the tiny details, it is a site to fire interest and imagination, not a history lesson.

lost-british-television.blogspot.com/

[LanceM]

Great Site Andy,

I found some interresting sites relating to old broadcast companies, and thier equiptment. There is even a picture of some episodes of Z-Cars being edited or filmed in the 1960's. Have a look:

www.meldrum.co.uk/mhp/knackers/behind.html

Here is a good transfer service as well, looks like they have done work for the BBC on Jackanory.

freespace.virgin.net/greg.taylor1/videoark/

I am also currious as to when the Raiders of the Lost Archives decide to let us all know what they have found ? If they have found anything yet that is, no idea.

Lance.

[emitron]

lancem said:

Great Site Andy,

I found some interresting sites relating to old broadcast companies, and thier equiptment. There is even a picture of some episodes of Z-Cars being edited or filmed in the 1960's. Have a look:

www.meldrum.co.uk/mhp/knackers/behind.html

Here is a good transfer service as well, looks like they have done work for the BBC on Jackanory.

freespace.virgin.net/greg.taylor1/videoark/

I am also currious as to when the Raiders of the Lost Archives decide to let us all know what they have found ? If they have found anything yet that is, no idea.

Lance.

Thanks Lance, I will try to add material to the blog regularly. The latest is piece about the 1938 recording on BBC TV by RCA.

As far as I'm aware these ITV finds are being used for Xmas programmes on Morcambe and Wise, Bruce Forsyth etc. So I guess much of the footage is wanted with regard to supporting what has been found already.

I think there are two 1950s programmes left with M&W, one being the "Bob Monkhouse Show" and the other being an edition of the "Good Old Days".

Those 1950s Val Parnell programmes that supported Monkhouse seem to mostly exist and are a quality treasure trove that have been completely underused and forgotten about, much like the Jack Hylton archives.

[Andrew Martin]

lancem said:

Great Site Andy,

I found some interresting sites relating to old broadcast companies, and thier equiptment. There is even a picture of some episodes of Z-Cars being edited or filmed in the 1960's.

The Z Cars picture is from a special edition of "Late Night Line-Up" called "A to Z Cars" tx'd 8/10/65, which featured behind the scenes footage from the making of the episode "The Soft Game" (tx 21/4/65) - and is quite often used as a source of 1960s studio footage...

[Dirk Winchester]

I would suspect (like others here) that the ITV raiders page is just a search for particular episodes they want for a special, rather than any long term initiative..
I also suspect that one they are after is Brucies appearance as the Canterville Ghost.

Does anyone know about the other Canterville Ghost also made in 1966.
Legend has it that as well as the ABC UK edition.

AR made an export edition in colour which had Frankie Howerd in it with Peter Noone, this was transmitted in the USA at Christmas .

is this a myth or even partial truth ?

[William Martin]

uk.imdb.com/title/tt0060208/
here's the evidence

[alistairwilson]

It looks like they're having results. According to the excellent UKgameshows.com website a 1973 episode of New Faces featuring Victoria Wood's tv debut has just been found:

30 October New Faces discovery
A 1973 episode of New Faces previously believed to have been lost has been rediscovered by director Paul Stewart Laing. The episode includes the first TV appearance of Victoria Wood, who went on to win the series. Including this new discovery, only 18 out of the 160 episodes produced in the 1970s are known to have survived.

[C Perry]

That edition of New Faces was returned as part of the BFI's Missing Believed Wiped campaign circa 1994 I believe. It also has Les Dennis and Malandra Burrows on it.

c

[paulw]

The show which features Wood with Dennis and Malandra Burrows was her second appearance - a clip from this, in which she's singing a song called 'Lorraine,' pops up in every annual retrospective of her work. Her debut was a couple of months prior to this, singing a song called 'Dorothy.' Would be great if it's the latter that's been found, but by the sounds of it, it's the former.

[Peter Chadwick]

The 'Raiders' site says that every edition of 'Blackpool Night Out' is missing. The Beatles' 'Anthology' DVD and CD features their full appearance from 1965, so at least one show must exist.

[Martin Ireland]

Isn't that Big Night Out, though?

[C Perry]

Exactly what I was going to say Martin, according to the copyright holders that sequence is from Big Night Out. The Blackpool Big Night Out edition remains to be found.

c

[emitron]

I put a piece on my blog today about Emergency Ward Ten. The database confuses me as K'scope used to list well over 100 16mm recordings but I think there is a discrepancy between this and the database? If the earlier K'scope is the definitive guide then about 12% survive, if the new database if right, that would drop far further? I hope the earlier guide is the one to follow!

[rumbers]

'Raiders of the Lost Archive' is in fact a forthcoming tv series
(supposed to be aired around Xmas) which features a different celebrity each week reflecting and commenting on various tv clips from their career. Bruce Forsyth is one i believe and Jim Davidson another.
So yes Dirk is right.. the website is more an appeal for material to incorporate into the series rather than any profound long term initiative!
Granada International contacted me during the summer saying that Cliff Richard was one of the proposed subjects and did i know where they could find old footage of him.
I suggested they look at their own archive for a start as nearly all his series and Saturday Spectaculars for the ATV network 1960-1968 survive at Perrievale. These researchers werent even aware of that fact or that 'Reelin in the Years' represented their own company's musical catalogue either.
They said their budget would allow 6 Cliff shows to be transferred for the first time from 16mm for viewing and even
left the choice to me. Then ..(you can almost guess the turnabout ending) they called to say Cliff was unable to take part due to other commitments and so would not be going ahead.

It will be interesting to see the choice of the other celebrities chosen for the forthcoming series in December.